Uncoupling mechanism



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Specification ol Letters Eatent.

raten-tee sept. le, miser.

Application tiled ebrnarjy le, 1958i. Serial No. 444,252.

To all whom it may 00m/*em Be it known that l, CLARENCE H. line-- imc, a citizen of the United States, and a resident ol Chicago, in the county et Coeli; and State of illinois, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Unconpling, Mechanism, ot which the following is a description, reference being had to the ac companying drawing, which forms a part out my specification.

ll/ly invention relatesto mechanism for uncoupling car couplers and has for its obu ject the provision ot a construction einployn ing a pair ot' levers so arranged and operatively connected that operation or manipulation of the lool; lifter of the coupler may be easily and readily performed by the trai-n men from the side ot the car Without necessitating going between the coupled cars; the invention also having for its object the provision of a construction whereby adeqate leverage or sufficient power may be obtained and the uncou ling operation thereby made comparative y easy; while at the same time providing a construction which will not improperly affect the coupler .through any undue vibration or breakage in the mechanism.

A. further object ci my invention is to provde uncoupling mechanism which is simple in construction and easy in operation, as will be readily comprehended ltronc the detailed description ot the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved mechanism shown applied to a car end-sill and. car coupler.

Fig. 2 illustrates my improved mechanism in elevation as applied in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view ot a modilied forni ol my improved mechanism, shown applied to a car end-sill and to a car coupler.

Fig. e illustrates the construction shown in Fig. 3 in elevation.

In the particular exemplification of the invention as disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2, it comprises a suitable bracket 10 adapted to be secured in any suitable manner to the car end-sill which is indicated at 11in The bracket is provided with a horizontally disyposed trunnion or spindle portion 12, the

outer end whereof is preferably reduced and threaded as indicated at 13 to receive a suitable vvasher and nut indicated at 14, see Fig. 1. llhe trunnion orspindle portion 19, of the bracket member 1 0 is intended to provide a iulcrnni point .tor an operating lever 15 disposed transversely oi' 'the end ofthe car toward one side so as to be accessible from the side oi the car. 'The operating lever 15 is preferably formed so as to slope downwardly, when in normal position, in order that the free or handgrasping end may be disposed in a plane slightly beneath that of the endsill, as shown at 15, while ythe inner or pivot-ed end of the operating leyer 15 is provided with anangular p0rtion or arm 16, disposed upwardly from the inner or llfulcrnined end thereof, that is t0 say, the operating lever 15 is substantially in the nature of a bell-crank lever, as more clearly shown in Fig.

The bracket member 10 is also provided with a downwardly disposed arm 17 and this arm is preferably provided with a. trunnion or spindle 1B to provid-e :tulcrum point for a second lever 19; while the outer end o't the spindle 18 may be threaded to receive ar suitable nut and washer to maintain the lever 19 in place. The lever 19 is preferably of the angular formation more clearly shown in Fig. 2, that is the pivoted end slopes upwardly and terminates in o. horizontally extending portion whereby the tree ory outer end of lever 19 `will be disposed substantially inthe saine horizontal plane as the coupler lock litter 2O et dicated at 21.

The outer or :tree end of the horizontal portion of the lever- 19, is preferably somewhat reduced to provide the spaced shoulders 22, 22 whereby the relation of the lever to the loci: litter 20 will be maintained while at the saine time providing a sliding relation between the lever and loclr litter; the reduced portion, Fig. 2, being disposed 4thronlgrh the' lock lifter, while the reduced portion is of such length that suilicient play will be permitted during'tlie operation of ythe mechanism.

The opstanding lug or arm 16 of operating lever 15, as Well as the lifting lever 19, are both apertured to receive the oppo site ends of a connecting member or linlr 23;

the ends'of the link, as disclosed in the drawing, being bent at right angles to the main portion, or substantially so, and ldisosed in opposite directions as shown in lig. 1 at 24 and 25, respectively; the immediate ends oi' the bent portions of the link being in turn ureterably bent in parallel -vvitli t e main portion of the link directions the coupler inas clearly shown in rangement of the levers and so as to prevent the accidental withdrawal of the linli. The connections between the levers and the link are such, however, as to permit sufficient play therebetween and pre-- vent binding of the various elements of the mechanism.

rl .`he downwardly disposed arm ll' of the bracket member 10, and the pivotal connec tion therewith oit lever 19, is such that no frictional contact between the er ds ofthe two levers 15 and 19 will boen'countered dun ingl the oscillatory movements ot said. levers; that is to say, ythe pivotal point i8 for the lever 19 is so disposed. that lever i9 may be raised a suliicient extent to lift the lock lifter 2() into releasing position when downward pressure on the free end l5 of open ating lever 15 by the trainnien has been aplied. p The mechanism isshown in normal or coupling position in the drawing' and the arlinlr is such that the Weight of the mechanism Will not involuntarily effect uneoupling action of the coupler lock lifter; the elements being so arranged, hovvever,that comparatively slight pressure by the trainmen in a downward di rec/tion on the free end 15n ci lever V15 will cause a pulling action to loey exerted on linl: or member 22, through thelinediurn oi' the opstanding arm 16 of lever 1t and by reason ofthe connection'of link 22 `with lever 19 at a point considerably above and .beyond the pivotal point of said lever 19, will cause the free end of lever 19 to be lifted and thereby actuated and bring the coupler loclr lifter into uncoupling position'. rangement shown and described gives the operator double ior increased leverage over thatobtained by devices of this nature as at present employed; thus making the operation of the uncoupiing mechanism very' much simpler and positive.

In Figs. 3 and 4, l shovv a modified forni of my uncoupling mechanism, wherein a bracket 26, is secured to the end-sill oi' a car at a point intermediate of the coupler 21 and, the end of the sill as shown, The bracket 26 is spindle 27 on which is pivotally mounted a lock lifter controlling lever 28, which is shown somewhat bayonet shape, that is 'to' Say, the lever is preferably bent at a point intermediate of its ends so as to provide a horizontally disposed portion or end adapt ed to extend in a horizontal plane above the coupler indicated at 21; reduced and shouldered shown in Figs. l and 2.

At a point adj aceiit to the end of the endsill I provide a second, bracket 29 which is formed with a spindle or trunnion 30 on which is pivotally mounted a hand lever 3l; the lever 31 being mounted to normally depend from the'braclzet as shown in el.

similar to -lever 19 provided with a single extension or` with the outer end weones lrelera'bly a point adjacent to the pivotal point ol lever 31 is a link or rod 32 pivotally secured thereto land with the opposite end pivotally secured to lever 28 at the point namely at the point where the upvvardly bent portion oit lever 28 terminates 1n 'the horizontally disposed lock lifter engaging portion, so that the link 32 is normally disposed in substantially the saine plane as the upper end oit' lever 28g-the ends off link 32 being; shown int in an angular manner and disposed thi lign suitable apertures in lever and lever 3l, respectively, a manner similar in that respect to the construction of linlr 23 ot the construction shown in Figs.l 1 and 2. lt is evident from the construction shown that a pull exerted on the lower end of 'lever toward the end oi the end-sill adjacent thereto will produce a pull on the link 32 and thereby litt lever 2S, 4causing it to swing about its pivotal point 27, so as to actuate the coupler lock lifter sho Wn at 20, the saine. as the previously described construction. Y

With both constructions, actuation of the coupler lock lifter 2O is rnade possible from the side of the car adjacent the end' thereof anc said operation is easily accomplished because of the great lifting force obtained thereby; my improved constructions giving greatly increased leverage and lifting force over that cbtainel by uncoupling rods at present employed, in which 'theiorce or leverage has been found insuii'icient to coni plot-ely tirovv the coupler-knuckle open.

have shown and described what l believe to be the simplest adaption of my invention merely used as terms of description and not of limitation; there being; no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of eX- clnding any mechanical equivalents :for the various features shown and described, as structural niodiiications are possible and may be made without departing from the spirit oi the invention.

1. Uncoupling mechanism comprising, in combination with the lock lifter or pin of a coupler, a lool; litter or pin controlling member pivotally mounted at one end on a car end-sill While the. other end has a loose operative relation "With the lock-lifter or coupler pin, an operating member mounted intermediate ofa'ts ends on the car end-sill, `and means pivotally secured at one end to said last mentioned member and at theother end to said first mentioned mehr bei' whereby downward movement of the last mentioned member will cause apulling action on said ineens and thereby move 'the iirst member upwardly about its pivot.

2. Uncoupling mechanism of the charao ter dewribedy comprising a bell-crank lever vpivot-ily mounted on the car-sill, 'e second pivotally Iand the terms and expressions employed are lli weones' lever mounted at one end on the car-sill wbile-the other end is arranged in a dii:- erent horizontal plane and adapted to oontrol the lock lifter or pin of a coupler, and a connecting member secured to one end of the bell-crank lever and to an intermediate point on said second mentioned lever whereby oscillation of the bell-orank-lever will canse said connecting member to pull the Asecond mentioned lever upwardly.

3. Uncoupling mechanism of the charaoter described, comprising, in combination with a coupler pin or lock lifter, a 4bracket adapted to be secured to the car ends-sill, a bell-'crank lever pivoted on said bracket, one end of said bell-crank lever being extended 'and disposed downwardly into a plane be neath tbe plane of the end-sill to constitute the band lever while tlieother end of said bellecrank lever is disposed upwardly from said pivotal point, a second lever pivoted at one end on said bracket, 'at a point beneath the plane of tbe pivotal point of' said bell-crank lever, and disposed upwardly therefrom, with tbe free end terminating in a horizontally disposed portion extending across the coupler in operative `relation with the coupler pin or look lifter, and a connecting' rod or link pivotally secured to the upwardly disposed end of said b ellcrank lever and to said second mem'V Ationed lever at an intermediatepoint.

4. Uncoupling mechanism o" the character described, comprising a lever pivoted on a ear end-sill and disposed downwardly beneatb the end-sill, said lever being provided with an arm disposed upwardly above the plane or' the pivotalV point of the lever, a second lever pivoted on the end-sill in a different horizontal plane from that of the first lever, with the free end of said second lever disposed above thereoupler and arranged in yielding operative relation with the lock-pin of the coupler, and a connecting element connected with said arm o the first lever and with said second lever, intermediate of its ends, so as to exert an upward pull on the second lever when the lirst lever is osoillated about its pivotal point.

ernennen H. Kaarten.

Witnesses CHESTER E.' Smonun, l. R. Hmmm, 

